ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we saw that CSA has a huge bearing on how women perceive themselves and others, leaving them predisposed to traumatisation. It is therefore reasonable to expect that interviewing women with such histories would be a delicate and difficult task, requiring great sensitivity and tact. From the beginning, I was aware that retelling their stories would be emotionally costly for them and potentially traumatic. As the project continued, I gradually came to realise exactly how costly it was, and developed a sense of the depth of responsibility it laid on me as a researcher. I could have been seen as just another abuser, someone in a position of power, taking their personal stories and using them for my own ends. I feel, therefore, that it is relevant to devote a chapter to discussing the dilemmas and difficulties I found in undertaking such a project.
